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RAILWAY ARCHAEOLOGY IPSWICH (QLD)
Alister J Cameron
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31E2F Abermain Branch
Tivoli Yard to Church Street
Source: Qld Railways Archives
FROM ABOVE; NORTHERN SECTION OF ABERMAIN BRANCH (A) Holdsworth Rd Open Level Crossing site (B) Wright's Colliery Siding (C) Warrego Highway (Cutting) (D) Remains of timber bridge (E) Housing development on former allignment (F) Mt Crosby Rd Open Level Crossing site (G) Rylance-Abermain opencut area; all historic traces removed.
1913 DESIGN DRAWING OF PERMANENT WAY ABERMAIN BRANCH Source: Qld Railways Archives
(A) HOLDSWORTH RD OPEN LEVEL CROSSING SITE LOOKING SOUTH-WEST 2021 Later road construction has obliterated the remains. Photo: Alister J Cameron
HOLDSWORTH ROAD CROSSING SITE LOOKING SOUTH-EAST 2021 On the far side branch cannot be traced in heavily overgrown area Photo: Alister J Cameron
31E2DF Wright's Colliery Siding
1915 WORKING PLAN WRIGHT'S COLLIERY SIDING Source: Qld Railways Archives
LOOKING EAST ACROSS ABERMAIN BRANCH EMBANKMENT 2016 Although that embankment is quite pronounced there is no sign of Wright's Siding which would have been on the near side. Also nothing is left of the associated structures which would have been on the right. Photo: Alister J Cameron
BRANCH EMBANKMENT AS IT HEADS SOUTH OUT OF OVERGROWN AREA 2016 Photo taken facing north. Photo: Alister J Cameron
FACING SOUTH THIS TIME LOOKING ALONG EMBANKMENT 2016 Photo: Alister J Cameron
SAME SECTION OF EMBANKMENT LOOKING WEST 2016 Embankment quite high and pronounced at this point. Evidence of coal can just be seen. Photo: Alister J Cameron
EMBANKMENT FURTHER SOUTH VIEWED FROM THE NORTH-EAST 2018 Note coal remnants in foreground. Photo: Alister J Cameron
END OF EXISTING EMBANKMENT LOOKING SOUTH 2016 Photo: Alister J Cameron
FURTHER SOUTH LOOKING SOUTH 2016 Approximate site of allignment but topography very disturbed. Photo: Alister J Cameron
VERY LARGE CONCRETE SLAB ON ITS SIDE IN THE AREA 2016 Source unknown Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING NORTH ACROSS WARREGO HWY AT APPROXIMATE PLACE THAT FORMER ALLIGNMENT PASSED 2019 Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING NORTH ALONG FORMER ALLIGNMENT TOWARDS WARREGO HWY 2016 Depression looks like a former shallow cutting. At right are broken concrete slabs. Photo: Alister J Cameron
CLOSEUP OF CONCRETE SLABS 2019 Sign of a very major structure; probably mine-related. Photo: Alister J Cameron
FURTHER SOUTH ALONG FORMER ALLIGNMENT LOOKING TOWARDS HIGHWAY 2019 No evidence remains at this point.+ Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING BACK SOUTH ALONG FORMER ALLIGNMENT 2019 Bridge embankment commences on other side of saplings. Photo: Alister J Cameron
MORE RELICS OF FORMER MINING 2016 Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING SOUTH ALONG RAIL EMBANKMENT TOWARDS SITE OF BRIDGE 2016 Photo: Alister J Cameron
CLOSUP OF EMBANKMENT SHOWING COAL REMAINS 2018 Photo: Alister J Cameron
EMBANKMENT VIEWED FROM NORTH 2016 Bridge was located to the left. Photo: Alister J Cameron
REMAINING BRIDGE PILE WITH METAL SUPPORT STILL ATTACHED 2016 Photo: Alister J Cameron
NORTHERN ABUTTMENT OF FORMER BRIDGE 2018 In process of being inspected. Photo: Alister J Cameron
VIEWED FROM FURTHER BACK LOOKING ACROSS THE GULLY 2016 Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING SOUTH ACROSS GULLY 2018 Only a couple of stumps remain of the bridge. Photo: Alister J Cameron
FURTHER SOUTH LOOKING ACROSS WRIGHT STREET 2016 Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING NORTH-EAST DIAGONALLY ACROSS GEORGE ST 2016 Site of line ran approximately through the front yards of the houses on the far side of the street. Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING NORTH ALONG FORMER ALLIGNMENT WHERE IT CROSSED MT CROSBY RD 2019 The site of line was towards front of house. Construction of houses and the excavation of the road has destroyed all evidence. Photo: Alister J Cameron
APPROXIMATE PLACE WHERE FORMER BRANCH CROSSED 2016 Far side has been completely re-landscaped because of open cut activity Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING NORTH DIAGONALLY ACROSS MT CROSBY RD TOWARDS OPEN LEVEL CROSSING SITE. Former line passed through what is now the front yard of white house. Photo taken what was probably overburden for the Rylance-Abermain Mine. Photo: Alister J Cameron
GENERAL VIEW OF RYLANCE-ABERMAIN OPENCUT AREA 2019 Looking west. Line would have passed through this area but topography has completely changed. Photo: Alister J Cameron
POSSIBLE SITE OF CHURCH STREET OPEN LEVEL CROSSING 2018 Looking north-east. From here line would have curved round to Mount Crosby Road. Photo: Alister J Cameron
Church Street to Abermain Colliery Site
1914 WORKING PLAN & SECTION ABERMAIN BRANCH (SOUTH) Source: Qld Railways Archives
FROM ABOVE; SOUTHERN PART OF ABERMAIN BRANCH (A) Church Street Open Level Crossing site (B) Whole site excavated for sports field (C) Site of Abermain Coke Ovens & tramway (D) Surviving deep cutting (E) Site of Abermain Yard; now completely erased by later opencut. Overlay: QGIS Vectors (Alister J Cameron) Underlay: Qld Globe (Ausmap)
LOOKING SOUTH-WEST ACROSS CHURCH STREET 2019 The line passed to the left of the building on the far side of the road and then diagonally across the two sports fields. This whole section has been excavated and relanscaped. Photo: Alister J Cameron
THE SECOND SPORTS FIELD LOOKING SOUTH 2019 Line would have travelled from left to right and would have hit the fence around current position of tall, white gum. Photo: Alister J Cameron
FORMER ALLIGNMENT THAN PASSES THROUGH VERY THICK SCUB AND DISTURBED GROUND 2019. Path of line is extremely difficult to track though the current picture may be of an embankment remnant. Photo: Alister J Cameron
SAME AREA VIEWED FROM SOUTH SHOWING THE THICKNESS OF VEGETATION Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING SOUTH-WEST TOWARDS THE BEGINNING OF A DEEP CUTTING 2019 The road in front is a relatively new feeder road to a third set of sports fields. Photo: Alister J Cameron
MOVING SOUTH-WEST INTO THE MAIN CUTTING WHERE TRAMWAY CROSSED 1991 A few timbers still remain at this stage. Heritage Study (U.Q.) 1991 Ipswich Council Library Record number: 205030
SIMILAR POSITION LOOKING WEST ACROSS TOP OF CUTTING 2014 The timbers have gone. Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING BACK TOWARDS THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CUTTING 2014 Photo: Alister J Cameron
FURTHER SOUTH-WEST ALONG CUTTING 2014 Heavily overgrown at this point Photo: Alister J Cameron
END OF SURVIVING CUTTING LOOKING EAST 2014 Here an road embankment can be seen crossing the former allignment. Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING SOUTH-WEST ALONG FORMER ALLIGNMENT 2014 No evidence remains. Photo: Alister J Cameron
ABERMAIN COLLIERY SITE LOOKING WEST 2014 Behind the trees in the far distance is the relatively modern Tantivy Street. Opencut activity has changed the topography of the area completely. Photo: Alister J Cameron
SOUTH-EAST SECTION OF AREA 2014 Many old mine artefacts remain on embankments at tree-line to the left. Photo: Alister J Cameron
PART OF SITE SHOWING ERODED COAL BANKS AND SPOIL HEAPS 2014 Photo: Alister J Cameron
MINE DAM PROBABLY CONSTRUCTED FOR OPENCUT OPERATIONS 2019 Photo: Alister J Cameron
PROBABLE SHAFT JUST NORTH-EAST OF OPENCUT AREA 2014 Photo: Alister J Cameron
RUSTED REMAINS OF BOILER ON EARTH BANK EAST OF OPENCUT AREA 2018 Photo: Alister J Cameron
ANOTHER MINING RELIC IN SAME AREA 2014 Photo: Alister J Cameron
PILE OF ASH IN SAME AREA 2014 Photo: Alister J Cameron
LOOKING NORTH-WEST OVER TANTIVY STREET 2019 Photo taken from high embankment at edge of opencut area. Tantivy Street, a bypass of part of Mt Crosby Rd cut through western portion of old Abermain area. Road formation on nearer side evidences numerous broken bricks and other evidence of former mining activity. Photo: Alister J Cameron
SOME BRICKS IN TANTIVY STREET ROAD FORMATION 2017 Photo: Alister J Cameron
WESTERN SIDE OF TANTIVY STREET 2018 Further mining remnants can be found on near side of timber wall. Photo: Alister J Cameron
CLOSEUP OF WESTERN SIDE OF WALL 2018 Brick and coal remnants can be seen. Photo: Alister J Cameron
BRICK ARTEFACTS FROM ABERMAIN COKE OVENS SITE